SLBH Equine Bodywork

These 3 enjoyed their sessions this week!

The ever-terrifying words.

Soft tissue injury.

No matter the discipline, most of us have dealt with it or know someone who has.

Suspensories. Tendons. Sprains. Tears. Lesions.

Some carry a better prognosis than others. Some require months of rehabilitation. Some can absolutely affect a horse's career, however soft tissue injury does NOT automatically mean career-ending.

What matters is **WHAT structure is injured, WHERE the injury is located, HOW severe it is, how quickly it is diagnosed, and what happens during the months AFTER diagnosis.

What are the most common soft tissue injuries?

Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon (SDFT)
The classic "bowed tendon." These tendons handle tremendous forces during exercise and can develop anything from minor fiber damage to significant core lesions.

Suspensory Ligament
One of the most familiar injuries in performance horses. Injuries can involve the origin/proximal suspensory, body or branches. Location matters, a lot, and proximal hind suspensory injuries can be particularly frustrating.

Deep Digital Flexor Tendon (DDFT)
These can be especially challenging because part of the tendon travels inside the hoof capsule, where ultrasound has limitations and MRI may be necessary.

Check Ligament
The accessory ligament of the DDFT. These injuries can also require several months of structured rehabilitation.

Suspensory branch injuries, collateral ligaments, annular ligaments and tendon-sheath-associated injuries are also regularly seen. That's why saying a horse "has a suspensory injury" or "tore a tendon" really doesn't tell the whole story.

Location + severity + amount of fiber damage + chronicity + associated injuries all help determine prognosis.

So... what actually happens?

Healthy tendon and ligament fibers are highly organized to withstand tremendous load. When those fibers are damaged, the body repairs them, but the repaired tissue isn't automatically identical to the original. Every horse heals differently, some with more scar tissue than others. It's also important to note that a horse with a soft tissue injury can be sound before healing is complete, which is why it is so important to have rechecks with your veterinarian to monitor progress.

Cold therapy, appropriate compression/support, controlled confinement and veterinarian-directed anti-inflammatory treatment may be used during the initial inflammatory phase.

For diagnosis, most soft tissue injuries are diagnosed by ultrasound. MRI may be needed for structures inside the foot or injuries that can't be adequately evaluated otherwise.

During the initial visit and visits following, you and your vet may discuss regenerative options to aid in healing the injured tissue. PRP concentrates platelets and growth factors and can be injected directly into certain tendon or ligament lesions under ultrasound guidance. Stem-cell therapies may also be used with the goal of improving the quality of repair and potentially reducing re-injury risk.

Shockwave is also commonly incorporated into treatment for certain injuries to help break apart scar tissue and encourage the tissue to heal with better elasticity.

These are valuable tools, but none of them replace the most important part of treating a soft-tissue injury... rehabilitation.

Healing tissue needs controlled, progressively increasing load. Too much too soon, too little for too long, can all increase the risks of re-injury.

Depending on the injury and the horse, rehabilitation may progress from: Controlled confinement → hand walking → increasing walking → short periods of trotting → increasing workload → cantering → discipline-specific conditioning → full training.

Significant injuries can require 6, 9 or even 12+ months depending on the structure and severity. Rechecks during this time help evaluate how much time may be needed, when a horse may progress or need more time, etc.

The reason soft tissue injuries cause worry... because re-injury is indeed a risk. Repaired tissue isn't identical to the original tissue.

How can one set their horse up for success?

We can't prevent every soft-tissue injury. Horses are athletes, and injuries happen. Ground changes, one bad step, there's a million reasons it can happen, we can stack the deck in their favor though.

• Build fitness progressively instead of suddenly increasing workload.
• Condition horses for the job they're actually expected to perform.
• Pay attention to fatigue and recovery.
• Maintain appropriate hoof balance and involve your veterinarian and farrier when mechanics need attention.
• Pay attention to footing.
• Warm horses up properly.
• Maintain strength AND cardiovascular fitness.
• Know your horse's legs and what is normal for them.
• Don't ignore subtle changes in performance.

Early diagnosis matters. A small lesion caught today can be a very different situation than that same lesion after another week of hard work.

Blessed with amazing clients!! Thank you to all who allow me to chase this crazy dream and are along for the ride of crazy journey!

I did the first session of magnawave on a friend’s barrel horse last Thursday before they head to an association finals race over the weekend!

This is the text I received last night!

I had two new client horses at riding club yesterday. I didn’t see the client but received a text this morning!

Such a good feeling!!

Open dates for July! I will be hanging out at CGA state show on the 22nd as well.

Had the absolute best session on this girl today!

Lilo has been guarded when it comes to her bodywork especially around her hind end.

We usually have to have a talk about her use of teeth and her hind legs. Today she did not nip at my hands while work on her pecs, I was able to stretch her front legs and she did a cat stretch (that I wish I’d gotten on video) and finally she allowed me to do a hind leg hammock on both sides.

She was so good today! Monthly sessions have been huge for her.

I feel like this needs to be said. I will not book or hold a day on my schedule without having horse and client info in my booking system! I will give you my available dates, when you select one I will then ask for horse info. That is the only way to secure your spot in my books.

Your option is to request an appointment at the link below.

https://www.equiproconnect.com/ProConnect/Detail/286c7f69-55f2-4b6e-bcbe-d075238e28e6

I appreciate all of my clients but I will NOT hold a day on my schedule without horse info. I also will NOT chase anyone for payment so I need horse owner info to be able to invoice if I’m working with trainers!

Equipro Sarah Luke dba SLBH Equine Bodywork is a Certified Equine Sports Massage Therapist dedicated to helping our equine athletes feel the best they can in and out of the arena. I serve South Santa Clara, San Benito, and North Monterey Counties.

Which one is calling to you? Drop your number below!